2390 J. Org. Chem. 1988,53, 2390-2392 Table I. Svnthesis. Reactions. and "Se Chemical Shifts of la and Related ComDounds no. product (6 We)" starting material reagents yield,b % la ArSeOH (1061c) ArSeOCH, H,O 80 ArSeCHz6HzC6H, mkPBA 60 lb ArSeOCH3 (126gd) ArSeBr CH30Na/CH,0H 78 ArSeOH CH3OH 53 (ArSe)2/ArSeOzH CH30H 43 ArSeCH2CH=C(CH3), m-CPBAICH30H 70 IC ArSeOCHzCH3 (1224d) NaH/CH,CH,OH ArSeBr 70 2a ArSeOzH (1217d) ArSeOH m-CPBA >95 2b ArSeOZCHz(1292d) ArSeOCH3 m-CPBA >95 2c ArSeO2CHZCH3(1282d) ArSeOCHzCH3 m-CPBA >95 6 ArSeNHCHzC6H5(680d) ArSeOCH, C~H~CHZNHZ 95 ArSeOH C~H~CH~NHZ > 95 7 ArSeSCHZC6H6(442d) ArSeOCH3 CGH~CH~SH >95 ArSeOH C&I&HzSH 91 9 ArSeCHzCHO (ArSe,) /ArSe02H CH2=CHOCHzCH3 28' From MezSe. NMR yields. cAcetone-de dCDC13. e Isolated yields. Scheme I esters disproportionate and comproportionate. 1.2 n-&ILl: 5s NaOCH, ArBr - ArSeBr - ArSeGCH, Acknowledgment. We thank the National Institutes 2.b, CHIOH. CH& of Health, NIADDK, for support of this research, and Dr. 3 68% -lb Carl A. Hoeger for exploratory studies on sterically hin- dered selenenic acids.1° Registry No. la, 114031-53-7;lb, 114031-54-8;IC, 114031-55-9; 2a, 114031-56-0;2b, 114031-57-1;2c, 114031-58-2;3,114031-59-3; 5, 20875-32-5;6, 114031-60-6;7, 114031-61-7;8, 114031-62-8;9, 114031-63-9; 2,4,6-(t-B~)~C~H~Br,3975-77-7; 2,4,6-(t- BU)~C~H,S~(CH~)~C~H~,114031-64-0; 2,4,6-(t- 100, I BU)~C~H~S~CH~CH=C(CH3)2, 11403 1-65- 1. DO h ArSeGCH, ArSeGCH, I ArSeOD - 4 (10) Hoeger, C. A. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1983. Hans J. Reich,* Craig P. Jasperse Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin Madison, Wisconsin 53706 Y L I\ \ 1 Received December 18, 1987 Synthesis and Reactivity toward Acyl Chlorides and Enones of the New Highly Functionalized Copper 20 40 60 BO 100 120 Reagents RCu (CN)ZnI Time iminl Summary: The new and highly functionalized copper Figure 1. Hydrolysis of lb in 4% D20/CD3CN at 25 "C. The initial concentration of lb was 0.032 M. The diselenide 5 pre- reagents RCu(CN)ZnI obtained from readily available cipitated and was not measured. primary and secondary alkylzinc iodides by a trans- metalation in THF with the soluble salt, CuCN.2LiX, react Selenenic acid la and its esters are the first to be in good yields with acyl chlorides and enones, respectively, characterized which lack coordination by an ortho sub- to afford ketones and 1,4-addition products. stituent. Despite the size of the 2,4,6-tri-tert-butylbenzene Sir: Copper reagents have proven to be very useful in substituent: selenenic acid la was far less stable than the organic synthesk2 Their synthetic utility would still be o-nitro-, o-benzoyl-, and o-carbomethoxybenzeneselenenic enhanced if highly functionalized copper compounds could acids previously observed.1b~c~2cThe chemical reactivity be prepared. Since lithium and magnesium organo- of selenenic acid la and acid lb was consistent with that metallics are generally used for their synthesis, only a few expected for selenenic acids and esters. In particular, functional groups are tolerated and only a direct synthesis strong evidence for the comproportionation of diselenides using primary alkyl bromides and highly activated copper3 with seleninic acids was obtained. Finally, we have for the allows the synthesis of some functionalized copper reag- first time demonstrated that only the acids but not the ents. The easy generation of functionalized zinc deriva- (9)The size of the tri-tert-butylphenyl group is sufficient to stabilize (1)Undergraduate research. ordinarily elusive functional groups such as C=S, P=As, P=Si, and (2)For some reviews, see: (a) Posner, G. H. Org. React. (N.Y.) 1972, P=Ge double bonds. Okazaki, R.; Ishii, A.; Fukuda, N.; Oyama, H.; 19, 1; 1975,22,253. (b) Normant, J. F. Synthesis 1972, 63. (c) Taylor, Inamoto, N. J. Chem. Sac., Chem. Commun. 1982,1187. Cowley, A. H.; R. J. K. Synthesis 1985,364. (d) Yamamoto, Y. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. Lasch, J. G.; Norman, N. C.; Pakulski, M.; Whittlesey, B. R. J. Chem. Engl. 1986, 25, 947; Angew. Chem. 1986, 98, 945. (e) Lipshutz, B. H. SOC.,Chem. Commun. 1983,881. Smit, C. N.; Lock, F. M.; Bickelhaupt, Synthesis 1987, 325. F. Tetrahedron Lett. 1984,25,3011. Escudie, J.; Couret, C.; Satge, J.; (3) (a) Ebert, G. W.; Rieke, R. D. J. Org. Chem. 1984, 49, 5280. (b) Andrianarison, M.; Andrianarison, J. D. J. Am. Chem. SOC.1985, 107, Wehmeyer, R. M.; Rieke, R. D. J. Org. Chem. 1987, 52, 5056. (c) Wu, 3378. T.-C.; Wehmeyer, R. M.; Rieke, R. D. J. Org. Chem. 1987, 52, 5057. 0022-3263/88/1953-2390$01.50/00 1988 American Chemical Society Communications J. Org. Chem., Vol. 53, No. 10, 1988 2391 tives4p5and some preliminary results6 have led us to ex- dition products14of type 5 in acceptable yields (62-99%; amine the transmetalation of organozinc compounds into see eq 1 and Table 11). the corresponding organocopper compounds by using The mild conditions used to generate the zinc organo- copper cyanide.6s7 metallic 2 have allowed us to use as a substrate an iodide We now wish to report a general preparation of a new containing an unprotected ketone Thus, the slow class of organocopper reagents RCu(CN)ZnI 1 by the re- addition of a THF solution of the iodide16 6 to an excess action of a soluble copper salt CuCN-2LiX (X = C1, Br) of activated zinc (2.5 equiv) at 30 "C led to the fast for- with various zinc organometallics 2 (eq 1). Furthermore, mation (4 h) of the corresponding zinc derivative 7 in 87% GC yieldas The transmetalation with CuCN.2LiC1 (0.86 equiv, 0 OC, 5 min) yielded the corresponding copper de- 3 4-12h 2 1 rivative 8, which was treated with benzoyl chloride (0.86 equiv, 0 "C, 10 h) to afford the diketo ester 9 in 80% isolated yield (eq 2). This behavior was general, and it acfivated Zn (2.5 eq.) THF 2) NH,CIiHfl 5 (81.94%) 30°C (62.99%) we developed a mild and high yield (85-95%) synthesis of polyfunctional zinc organometallics 2 by treating various functionalized iodides 3 with activated zinc in THF.g Thus, primary iodides react with zinc at 30 to 40 "C, - 6 provided that the metal has been first activated with 4 mol -l % of 1,2-dibromoethaneg and then with 3 mol % of chlo- rotrimethylsilane (see the typical procedure).l0 Under these conditions, secondary iodides react even at 25 "C and no side reactions like homocoupling could be detected. The new copper reagents 1 react rapidly with acyl chlorides (0 "C, 2-3 h) and furnish the ketones 4 in high yields (81-94%; see eq 1 and Table I). Very similar yields are obtained when a catalytic amount of CuCN-LiX (10 mol %) was used. However, without CuCN, the reaction be- 7 8 came very sluggish, and the opening of THF by the acyl chloride was an important side reaction. The low cost of CuCN and the short reaction times, as well as the high e (80%) yields obtained, make this reaction a possible alternative was possible to generate isopropylzinc iodide and cyclo- to the corresponding palladium(0)-catalyzed coupling re- hexylzinc iodide from the corresponding iodides in the action.12 Furthermore, we found after much experimen- presence of cycl~hexanone'~(1 equiv). After a trans- tation that the copper reagents 1 react in the presence of metalation with CuCN.2LiCl and the reaction with benzoyl chl~rotrimethylsilane~~with enones to afford the 1,4-ad- chloride under standard conditions, the desired ketones were isolated in 86 % and 92 % yield, respectively, whereas (4) In these cases, the organozinc compound was generated in the cyclohexanone was recovered in 80% GC yield. presence of the electrophile. (a) Tamaru, Y.; Ochiai, H.; Yamada, Y.; Yoshida, Z. Tetrahedron Lett. 1983,24,3869. (b) Knochel, P.; Normant, Under our standard conditions, the copper species 1 do J. F. Tetrahedron Lett. 1984,25,1475. (c) Petrier, C.; Dupuy, C.; Luche, not react with epoxides. However, they react readily with J. L. Tetrahedron Lett. 1986, 27, 3149. (d) Ochiai, H.; Tamaru, Y.; allylic halides and afford with high regioselectivitythe SN21 Tsubaki, K.; Yoshida, Z. J. Org. Chem. 1982,52,4420. (5) (a) Tamaru, Y.; Ochiai, H.; Nakamura, T.; Tsubaki, K.; Yoshida, substitution products. Thus, the reaction of (3-cyano- Z. Tetrahedron Lett. 1985,26,5559. (b) Tamaru, Y.; Ochiai, H.; Naka- propy1)zinc iodide with cinnamyl bromide and 3-chloro- mura, T.; Yoshida, Z. Tetrahedron Lett. 1986, 97, 955. (c) Comins, D. L.; OConnor, S. Tetrahedron Lett. 1987,28, 1843. (d) Nakamura, T.; Kuwajima, I. Tetrahedron Lett. 1986, 27, 83. (e) El Alami, N.; Belaud, (13) (a) Chuit, C.; Foulon, J. P.; Normant, J. F. Tetrahedron Lett. C.; Villieras, J. J. Organomet. Chem. 1987,319,303. (f) Nakamura, E.; 1981,37,1385; 1980,36, 2305. (b) Bourgain-Commercon, M.; Foulon, J. Sekiya, K.; Kuwajima, I. Tetrahedron Lett. 1987, 28, 337. P.; Normant, J. F. J. Organomet. Chem. 1982,228,321. (c) Corey, E. J.; (6) Knochel, P.; Normant, J. F. Tetrahedron Lett. 1986,27,4427,4431. Boa, N. W. Tetrahedron Lett. 1985,26, 6015, 6019. (d) Alexakis, A,; (7) The complex copper bromide-dimethyl sulfide was reported to be Berlan, J.; Besace, Y. Tetrahedron Lett. 1986,27, 1047. (e) Horiguchi, able to transmetalate a zinc homoenolate into the corresponding copper Y.; Matsuzawa, S.;Nakamura, E.; Kuwajima, I.